How has therapy changed my personality?

Last year I took a personality test called the IPIP-NEO test. It’s like the “Big-5” but with lots of subcategories. For example, you might have average “openness to experience” by having low imagination, emotionality, and artistic interests, but high adventurousness, intellect, and liberalism. The breakdown seems more interesting than the average. Importantly, this test gives meaningful numbers. A 58 means that they estimate that 58% of the population is less extroverted than I am.

Changes to my Big-5 score

Overall, my extroversion increased from low to moderate, my agreeableness and Openness increased from high to extremely high, my neuroticism began average and fell below average, and conscientiousness remained average.

	Jun-20	Dec-21	Change
Extroversion	29	58	29
Neuroticism	50	26	-24
Openness	73	97	24
Agreeableness	82	95	13
Conscientiousness	40	53	13

Largest Changes

	Jun-20	Dec-21	Change
Vulnerability	92	42	-50
Artistic Interests	19	68	49
Gregariousness	48	93	45
Altruism	52	86	34
Cautiousness	24	57	33
Self-Discipline	40	8	-32
Extroversion	29	58	29
Morality	65	91	26
Depression	58	33	-25
Emotionality	53	78	25
Friendliness	58	82	24
Neuroticism	50	26	-24
Openness	73	97	24

Overall, I’m pretty happy with most of these changes. Especially being more friendly and altruistic and so on. As well as and less vulnerable, neurotic, depressed and so on. My guess is that these changes are from some combination of therapy, psychedelics, meditation, and perhaps changes in circumstance (for example, finishing my Masters).

I don’t really think my artistic interest has changed so much as I’ve re-framed those questions, I think my self-discipline going down is good: I don’t need to force myself to do as much stuff when I’m happier, less self-concerned, and have more capacity and desire to help others.

I also have some pretty extreme character traits, but this post is only about change.

All the data is here.